PARTNERS’ FORUM



International Association of Assistance Dog Partners

PARTNERS’ FORUM

VOLUME FIFTEEN • NUMBER THREE FIRST QUARTER 2009

Features You Shouldn’t Miss

New IAADP DVD For Sale

Advocacy Campaign - Please Help

Free Eye Exam Offer by ACVO

Book Review - “Bombproof”

Editor: Joan Froling

Date of Issue: March 2009

Copyrighted, All Rights Reserved

Wal-Mart Settles ADA Complaints

by Joan Froling

IAADP would like to salute the Disability Rights section of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) for achieving a settlement with Wal-Mart that should put an end to the distressing problems reported by assistance dog partners over the last 15 years. While Wal-Mart admits no wrongdoing and maintains its employee education system was perfectly adequate, the retail chain has agreed to settle the ADA complaints filed by members of IAADP and other disabled persons with service animals by implementing a variety of measures which are detailed in the Remedy and Enforcement sections of the document.

To begin with, Wal-Mart must develop an education course about the Americans With Disabilities Act and civil rights of service animal handlers in cooperation with the Disability Rights section. It will be a 12 minute computer training module with a quiz to ensure the employee understands Wal-Mart’s new Service Animal Policy. In addition to educating its current work force, Wal-Mart must provide this training to each new Store Greeter, Assistant Manager and Store Manager within ten days of the person assuming that new position. For the next three years, the duration of the Enforcement phase of the settlement, each employee must sign a certificate afterwards to verify he or she received this schooling and every certificate must be forwarded to the DOJ’s Disability Rights section.

Another requirement is for each Wal-Mart store to post a copy of its new Service Animal policy in a prominent place like the employees lounge. The settlement spells out this poster must use 20 pt. font for the title and 16 pt. font for each provision. It shall also contain an eye catching photo of an assistance dog team. The poster will remind employees that the only question that may be asked of a customer will be, “Is that a service animal required because of a disability?” Questions about the person’s disability or a demand for proof of training or anything other than welcoming the team to Wal-Mart will not be permitted.

Why is this necessary? Wal-Mart did eventually develop a service animal policy, but it had been left up to individual store managers to post a “Service Animals Permitted” sign and educate their staff that assistance dogs are not pets and they are exempt from Wal-Mart’s traditional “No Pets Allowed,” policy. As IAADP discovered when we surveyed the online community of assistance dog partners in 2006, certain store managers in every geographical region of the USA were continuing to neglect this particular responsibility. The calls to IAADP’s Information and Advocacy Center reporting deplorable confrontations with ignorant employees in different states who denied access to legitimate teams in the Fall of 2006 were not something that could be dismissed as a few isolated incidents.

One of those who responded to our survey let me know that the Disability Rights section had been negotiating with Wal-Mart to settle the ADA Complaints filed by her and some other disabled individuals several years earlier. Before writing to Wal-Mart on behalf of our constituents, I decided to get in touch with a staff member in the Disability Rights section who had spoken at the IAADP Conference in 2002. I wanted to know if the DOJ had already persuaded Wal-Mart to agree to upgrade its employee education system before we sent off a letter urging Wal-Mart’s president to take that step. The answer was “no.” Wal-Mart attorneys had been resisting the DOJ’s efforts to resolve the civil rights violations.

Upon hearing from me that we’d documented additional cases of access denial and other negative experiences, my DOJ contact asked if IAADP would consider sharing the survey replies with Lynn Snowden, the attorney on staff who was handling negotiations with Wal-Mart. With the approval of IAADP’s board of directors, I contacted nearly 140 survey respondents seeking permission to forward their answers to the U.S. Department of Justice. I also asked if the DOJ could contact them if it needed additional infor­mation. The majority quickly got back in touch, indicating their willingness to participate in this advocacy initiative.

IAADP subsequently wrote to Lee Scott, the President of Wal-Mart, to discuss the calls we’d been getting and the survey results we shared with the Disability Rights section. We let him know that while quite a few teams told us their local Wal-Mart had been hospitable to them, almost half of those who responded had reported negative experiences. It was not a just a local or regional issue. It was happening in a number of stores from coast to coast. We gave him ex­amples of the humiliating way disabled persons were being treated. We encouraged Wal-Mart to take the lead in mak­ing all stores an “assistance dog friendly” venue for disabled people to shop in. We said we’d be glad to work with them on this effort and we looked forward to his reply.

The U.S. Department of Justice official with whom I stayed in touch expressed surprise that Wal-Mart did not give IAADP the courtesy of a reply. I found Wal-Mart’s silence to be quite eloquent. It served to confirm the futility of assistance dog partners continuing to contact Wal-Mart corporate headquarters seeking Wal-Mart’s help to resolve access difficulties. We had to hope the civil rights attorneys at the U.S. Department of Justice could prevail on our behalf with this retail giant.

Under the Remedy terms of this settlement reached in January 2009, Wal-Mart can no longer ignore members of our community who try to communicate with them about a civil rights violation. Within six months, every Wal-Mart store must post a sign in the entrance that announces: “Service Animals Welcome — Report Problems to 1-800-963-8442.” Wal-Mart’s Ethics Office must henceforth treat any such report as an official ADA complaint! Wal-Mart stores will have five days to investigate and, in addition to other obligations, must let the customer know within 45 days how Wal-Mart intends to resolve the problem. Every six months it must copy the Disability Rights section on these complaints, its investigation and its responses. This provision will give assistance dog partners some recourse and closure if they encounter problems in the future.

The DOJ will be spot checking Wal-Mart stores over the next three years to see if the required signs are in place and may send in testers to ensure compliance.

As part of the settlement, Wal-Mart must give the Disability Rights section $100,000 to make public service announcements that show assistance dog teams are welcome to shop in retail stores. It was agreed the PSA will not mention this settlement or show Wal-Mart’s name or a competitor’s name. The store that is the backdrop for the PSA must remain anonymous.

Last but not least, Wal-Mart must place $150,000 in escrow for financial settlements with those who filed an ADA complaint against the retail chain prior to the January 2009 settlement date. The DOJ has a year to determine which cases meet all the legal requirements for a Title III ADA Complaint and to distribute the funds. This sum will not indemnify Wal-Mart against future ADA complaints.

As reports of access confrontations with Wal-Mart employees have continued to trickle in since our survey, I can’t help but be delighted by the news that there is an end in sight. By the time we celebrate the 20th Anniversary of the ADA next year, in 2010, the terms of this settlement achieved by the U.S. Department of Justice should be fully implemented. We look forward to the problems addressed by this settlement becoming ancient history.

A Great Dane provides balance support to a woman with MS to prevent falls during the workshop on the advantages of this breed for this task at the Assistance Dogs International NA Conference in January 2009.

Member Input Desired

by Kevin Frankeberger

In order to get better acquainted with our membership, the seven volunteer members of the IAADP Board have committed to calling as many of you as possible to solicit feedback on the organization and its activities. Why this effort?

We need to know how to manage IAADP on behalf of our over 2,000 members from across the globe. We will be asking what you’d like to see in your publication, Partners Forum. As an educational and advocacy organization, we want to hear about issues you face in your daily lives and how IAADP can be of help. Are you using some of the cost saving benefits of membership? If not, why not? If you are, we’d like to know how well the process works for you. In essence, we want you, as the bedrock of the organization, to stay on as members. It is important to renew your membership when the time comes. We want you to feel that you are part of a membership organization having an impact on the assistance dog movement!

IAADP’s Board has committed to telephoning 35 randomly selected members each month. If you want to make a comment, please do not wait for a call! Please email or telephone your thoughts or needs. Our contact information is in the gray box on the last page of this publication.

Your Board is composed of people with disabilities partnered with assistance dogs. We take our responsibilities seriously and want to see IAADP grow and thrive. Tell us how we are doing when we call or email us now!

News from the UK

by Wendy Morrell

It has been a difficult three or four months in the dog world in the UK since the airing of the Pedigree Dogs Exposed documentary by the BBC. The main thrust of the programme was that pedigree dogs have been bred for showing to match breed criteria set down by the Kennel Club, and that this has been at the expense of the health and welfare of some breeds. Five years ago, The Kennel Club set up its Breed Health and Welfare Strategy Group, however, critics say change has been too little or too late.

Whichever side of the discussion one finds oneself on, what is absolutely clear, is that it has been a very trying time for all concerned; The Kennel Club, major dog charities, pet food manufacturers, journalists, even politicians having their say over what they feel is best for the future of our dogs.

Together with my assistance dog, I have even been challenged in the street and when using public transport by people asking what I think about the debate, and this has often been extended into discussions about dog owner­ship as a whole. Some people are rather negative but others more optimistic. The road to reform of our breed standards is not going to be easy. But in time, hopefully, the results will be for the benefit of the species as a whole – pedigree dogs make up about 75% of the seven million dogs currently living in the UK.

Looking around the industry of assistance dogs in the UK, I think things are really looking very positive. We have five main organizations training assistance dogs (Guide Dogs for the Blind, Hearing Dogs for Deaf People, Dogs for the Disabled, Support Dogs and Canine Partners), and in recent years we have seen some collaborations to train dogs for people with disabilities which cross the bounds of two or more of the organizations. Dogs for the Disabled started its very successful children’s program some five years ago. More recently, they and Support Dogs have started training dogs for children with autism and Hearing Dogs has a pilot scheme for children and so on. One organization that caught my eye recently is Cancer and Bio Detection Dogs, when I had the privilege of spending some time with its founder Claire Guest. Claire has had a long career history of training assistance dogs at Hearing Dogs for Deaf People and more recently has been working full time with her new organization.

One of the Cancer and Biodetection Dogs trustees is Animal Psychologist and founder of The Company of Animals, Dr. Roger Mugford. (Roger very kindly gave the keynote address at the IAADP conference in London last June). Roger commented:

“The fight against cancer is one of the greatest challenges faced by mankind. Today, dogs are widely used by the police and the Army to detect drugs and explosives, which highlights how their incredibly strong sense of smell can be turned into making a positive contribution to our human world. We are delighted to support Cancer and Biodetection Dogs’ ongoing work, which underlines our canine companions’ cleverness and capacity to be man’s best friend.”

Claire very kindly gave me further details of her organization which you will find in an article headed “In the Spotlight” in this issue of Partners Forum. I hope you will agree this is a most interesting and exciting development and I hope we’ll hear more of this fledgling assistance dog organization soon.

Looking further ahead, at the time of writing, it’s only a week until the start of Crufts, which is a wonderful op­portunity to catch up with so many British members of IAADP, see you there!

A Tail To Tell

by Toni and Ed Eames

In January, we flew to Orlando, Florida, to attend the Assistance Dogs International North America (ADI NA) conference. Arriving on the 10th, temperatures were in the mid-70s permitting us to enjoy a leisurely lunch the next day on the patio of the Bahama Breeze Restaurant. From that point on, the temperature began dropping and outdoor dining was a thing of the past!

The Regal Sun Resort Hotel, site of the conference, offered ground floor rooms adjacent to a large grass area to all attendees accompanied by assistance dogs. It was an ideal situation, except for the little flood we had. Ed woke up the first morning thinking one of the dogs had a urine accident, but the water turned out to be the result of a broken pipe! The leak was quickly repaired and we didn’t have to move rooms!

The next few days were extremely pleasant with lots of personal contacts with old and new ADI friends. Fellow IAADP board member Joan Froling joined us for dinner and several other social events. San Diego friends Carol Davis and Charli King, co-founders of Paws’itive Teams, were also frequent dining companions. We enjoyed the sessions and our revised “Partners In Independence” DVD, shown during Monday’s general session, was a huge hit! In addition to providing the grant for the revision, Hill’s Pet Nutrition has produced copies of both the veterinary and general public versions to be used as a fundraiser for IAADP. Information about the DVD and how to get it appears elsewhere in this issue. After showing “Partners In Independence,” Ed joined Becky Barnes, President of Guide Dog Users Inc, in a presentation focused on the recent rules about airline travel developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation and the proposed new rules suggested by the Department of Justice.

Ed went to many of the management and business ses­sions, including talks on fundraising, finding and retaining the perfect board of directors and grant writing. Toni concentrated on the training presentations, including sessions on positive training methods, the benefits of training Great Dane service dogs and successor dogs.

We joined Joan for a meeting of the Coalition of Assistance Dog Organizations (CADO). In addition to GDUI and IAADP, representatives of ADI NA and the US Council of Dog Guide Schools joined the discussion. It was generally agreed that we should collectively engage in helping implement the new mandate set forth by DOT requiring the installation of service animal relief areas at all U.S. airports. Details of IAADP’s advocacy in this area are found elsewhere in this issue.

Although most meals were provided by ADI NA as part of the registration fee, we did manage to have a couple of memorable meals on our own. One evening Davis Hawn was our companion at a fabulous Jewish delicatessen. Excit­ed by the outstanding food, we bought pastrami, rye bread, chopped liver and potato knishes to bring home to Fresno.

Davis first contacted us two years ago when he sought advice concerning his Florida condo board denying him the use of his apartment because he had a service dog.

Davis’ case is still in litigation three years later!

Another memorable meal was shared with Joan Froling and her daughter Laura. Laura is IAADP’s website manager and is busily revamping the website with a grant from Fort Dodge Animal Health. Laura and family traveled to Orlando to see Joan and participate in the joys of sightseeing. We were most envious to hear they got to swim with dolphins!

All of us face periodic challenges with our canine assistants, but once in a while we’re faced by situations need­ing a great deal of investigation. That has been the case with Toni’s Golden Retriever guide dog Keebler. She has put on ten pounds in the past six months. Our house is like a fortress where cat and dog food are stored behind closed closet doors or in locked containers, but she certainly was ingesting something. Everyone consulted, from veterinarian to vegetarian, stated without hesitation that unless calories were going in, she could not be adding pounds. To our great embarrassment, we discovered Keebler was not only occasionally eating kitty poop, but also ingesting some wheat-based cat litter. We’ve now taken steps to block her access to the four cat litter boxes, and we hope she begins to lose the weight she gained. The upstairs bathroom, housing two boxes, now has an 8-inch hook and eye latch, allowing the cats free access, but keeping Keebler out. We’ve barricaded the downstairs box and will be ordering a dog-proof litter box cabinet. The least a scavenger like Keebler should do is have an iron-clad stomach. But she doesn’t and once every few months we go through episodes of diarrhea and vomiting. Most unpleasant!!

The very distressing news is that our cat Nifty has lymphoma and is undergoing chemotherapy. Her usually voracious eating began slowing down and her outgoingness has diminished. As you can well imagine, we are petrified. With our other cat Bonzie doing well on hospice care, the thought of losing a second beloved kitty is devastating!

It’s wonderful when our advocacy efforts pay off without the need to go through long drawn out negotiations and legal battles. In December, Ed was contacted by Olin Fortney who had accepted a job at the school for the deaf in Santa Fe, New Mexico. When he showed up at school with his hearing dog, the principal said Mailey would not be allowed in school. In mid-December Olin was scheduled to meet with the superintendent to appeal this decision. At that meeting, Olin presented him with material Ed and he prepared based on several cases where the court decided that an employer had to allow a qualified person with a disability to be accompanied by an assistance dog in the workplace. The superintendent, as anticipated, supported the principal’s access denial decision. Subsequently, another meeting was scheduled with the superintendent in early January. Ed and Olin went over some additional arguments that could be used to counter the principal’s claims that the presence of a hearing dog might be harmful to students and faculty members with allergies or phobias to dogs, that Mailey might bite someone at the school and they would be liable, that other teachers and students might insist on bringing their dogs into the school and that the presence of Mailey was inimical to the image the school wanted to project to the community. All these were unnecessary. The superintendent told Olin at the beginning of this meeting that having read the material left with him, Mailey was welcome in school the next day! The team is now an accepted part of the school population!

Another advocacy effort involves members from Indiana who have developed an assembly bill to provide full access for disabled person/assistance dog teams in schools and in the workplace. Assembly Bill 1603 has been heard successfully by the relevant committee and will shortly have its first vote by the full legislative body. We’re delighted to have been part of this initiative to provide greater protec­tion to assistance dog partners.

Not all of our advocacy efforts revolve around assistance dog issues. Ed chairs a Fresno crossdisability committee dealing with ADA Title Two issues involving city government. At a recent Planning Commission meeting, a local developer requested an exemption from the rule in the Fresno General Plan calling for the installation of sidewalks and curb cuts on both sides of the street in all new developments. That mandate had been placed in the General Plan several years before by City Council at the request of the committee chaired by Ed. Joined by a representative of the League of Women Voters, Ed and several members of the disability community testified at a City Council meeting in December. Realizing he was losing this battle, the developer asked for a postponement of the issue, which was granted. We’re hoping when this does come up for a vote, the current Council members will reinforce the deci­sion made by a prior City Council.

Toni and Ed Eames can be contacted at 3376 North Wishon, Fresno, CA

93704-4832; Tel. 559-224-0544; email: eeames@csufresno.edu.

Inauguration Day Advantages

by Michael G. May

I went to DC for several inaugural events hoping I would get tickets to the main event from a friend. In the end I did not but was probably better off for the spontaneity of how it all evolved.

It was absolutely amazing to stand among the millions on the mall, hearing their comments and sounds mixed with the echoing speeches. I let out a breath I had been holding for eight years when the oath of office was finally completed.

The sub story for me was the navigation challenges of being a blind traveler in a very unique situation. First, I took the 14th street bus south as close as it was allowed at Vermont Avenue.

I used my GPS to locate a sensible meeting place within the pedestrian zone, which turned out to be the JW Marriott, where two friends were going to meet me. Actually, it was so cold, I searched for the nearest cafe to the Marriott and navigated my way there to wait for my friends.

Once we hooked up, the challenge was to find our way into the mall around all the barriers. Part of the solution was to just flow with the immense crowd. I set the Washington Monument on my GPS as my target destination just so the various twists and turns didn’t get me fouled up.

When we entered the mall near the reflecting pool, I had the forethought to put GPS markers at the narrow entry points assuming we would have to find them on the way out.

We threaded our way as far toward the official ceremony as we could. I thought of recording our actual second-by-second course but figured we would probably not take the same circuitous route out of the mall. It was better to set a target exit point and shoot for that. This turned out to be an excellent strategy since my sighted friends could not see anything over the people around us. Nobody seemed to know where they were going and there were no security people directing anyone so my GPS points were important beacons for us.

My seeing eye dog, Miguel, was amazingly calm amongst all the knees and long coats at his level. Somehow he was able to determine where the best flow of people happened to be. I was able to feel curbs and holes and announce them to my sighted neighbors because they literally could not see their own feet, the crowd was so dense.

It was a pretty empowering feeling to have two excellent navigation tools the millions around me did not have and a pleasure to help them out, all in the cooperative spirit of the amazing inaugural event.

Now, if I had just had the forethought to wear more clothing. Thank goodness for the auto announcements on the GPS because I had to keep gloves on and it would not have been easy to use the keyboard, much less to read the Braille display.

So, now you know a few tips to tell your students about the next time one of them attends an inauguration.

Terrific Gift Item!

IAADP Announces DVD Release

Celebrating the human-animal bond, Partners In Independence illustrates the wide variety of tasks performed by assistance dogs to enhance the quality of life of their disabled partners. Written and produced by Ed and Toni Eames, this 12 minute DVD is filled with appealing scenes of real life working dogs.

Guide dogs are shown assisting their partners to safely negotiate obstacles in the environment and being trained to use intelligent disobedience in connection with public transportation and street crossings. Hearing dogs can be seen alerting to a variety of sounds such as the smoke alarm, a crying child and to the partner’s name being called. Service dogs demonstrate tasks such as retrieving a beverage from the refrigerator, providing balance support, carrying a briefcase onto a bus and much more.

Thanks to another grant from the sponsor, Hill’s Pet Nutrition, this material has been thoroughly revised and updated since the award winning video version was first released in 2001. It comes in a colorful DVD jacket handsomely illustrated with large and small assistance dogs. It includes new footage, scenes such as a hearing dog alerting mom to a child needing rescue and the inclusion of small service dogs. It has a heartwarming soundtrack, an original composition by a guide dog user. In addition to sponsoring the revision, Hill’s has also provided copies for IAADP as a fundraiser for our organization.

Both the use of rescue dogs by programs and dogs specially bred and puppy raised for this career are discussed and depicted. It also informs the audience that some disabled persons may employ private trainers or train their own assistance dogs and that something fairly new is the training of service dogs for psychiatric disabilities, autism and diabetic alert dogs.

Professionally done this engaging film is a visual delight that will be of great value in educating the public about the role of assistance dogs in the lives of their disabled teammates. It will also be of interest to those considering partnering with an assistance dog.

Two DIFFERENT versions are currently available. One is directed to the general public and would be a great educational instrument for friends, relatives, employers, store and restaurant owners and students. The veterinary version targets animal health care practitioners about the health needs of assistance dogs. It can be used in staff development and hospital client outreach efforts. It would make a great gift for your veterinarian!

The cost of each version is $15 and all proceeds will go to IAADP. If you buy both versions, a reduced price of $25 is being offered. Please send check or money order made out to IAADP to Ed Eames, 3376 North Wishon Ave.,

Fresno, CA 93704 or order online at .

Advocacy Campaign USA - Please Help!

I’m Relieved That You Can Now Relieve!

By Toni and Ed Eames

During a long layover in Salt Lake City airport, we met the perfect escort! He listened and responded to our needs, described the surroundings as we trudged through the airport, and, best of all, knew a good grassy spot near the parking garage where our guide dogs, Keebler and Latrell, were able to have a relief break! Fortunately, the security agents were familiar with screening disabled people accompanied by assistance dogs and the whole process took less than half an hour. We made our connecting flight without a problem. Wouldn’t it be wonderful if every transfer at an airport could be as stress free as this? That dream can become a reality if the new rules developed by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) are implemented. One requirement is that airlines create service animal relief areas at all U.S. airports by May 13, 2009. In addition, escort service, known as meet-and-assist personnel, will be required to show us to these areas and escort us to our next gate or destination, if this service is requested.

To convert these rules set forth in 2008 into actuality requires a cooperative effort on the part of assistance dog training programs and those of us partnered with assistance dogs. The Coalition of Assistance Dog Organizations, which includes IAADP, has taken on this advocacy outreach effort for the 50 most traveled airports in the United States.

With only a short time to go before the May 13 deadline, if you want to get involved, we recommend contacting your local airport operators and airline representatives to make sure the relief areas are adequate and accessible. In addition, it is important to make a case for installing relief areas within the secured perimeter to avoid the need to go through security after providing a relief break for your dog. If you contact the airline or airport operator, keep copies of all correspondence and make notes on all conversations.

IAADP recommends:

1. Contact your closest airport and ask whether the mandated relief areas have been installed. If the answer is no, then find out when that will be done and who is responsible for the installation.

2. The probability is nothing has been done and it is important for you to inform the airlines and airport management they have a very short time to be in compliance with DOT’s New Rule. Offer your expertise in developing an accessible and convenient facility. Also, stress the point that escort providers and other staff need to know where the relief areas are located.

3. Make a case for placing the relief area within the secured perimeter. Reasons for this are:

A) It will be more convenient for travelers with disabilities accompanied by assistance dogs not to have to go

through security after taking their dogs to the relief area. The disabled community constitutes a significant segment of

those who travel by air and airlines should be providing greater service to us. The need to take your canine assistant to

a relief area outside the terminal can result in missed flights and major inconvenience and discomfort for you.

B) Having to go through security not only places a burden on the disabled passenger but on the security check

operation, as well. Many partners accompanied by assistance dogs must go through an intensive search because the

assistance dog equipment sets off the alarm system requiring a time consuming hands on search. This not only delays

us, but also causes delays to other passengers and takes the time of TSA staff. By providing the relief area within the

secured perimeter, this unnecessary use of security checking time and personnel can be avoided.

C) Since the escort service is required to accompany the disabled person/assistance dog team to and from the relief

area, their time commitment would be significantly decreased if the relief area were within the secured perimeter. This

would decrease the cost to airlines.

4. It is important to emphasize the need for you to be involved in the actual design and placement of the relief area to make it fully accessible and convenient for disabled passengers. For specific suggestions, see the model letter on the next page.

When we landed at Canada’s Prince Edward Island airport several years ago, Toni’s partner Escort pointed to a patch of grass on the tarmac adjacent to the terminal door. Established to enhance the decor of the airport, the grass patch conveniently served as a unique relief area! It would be wonderful if all airports had a similar approach. We have the opportunity to make this happen! Although the law may be on our side, it is important to engage airlines and airport representatives in a positive way. Airports have not been designed for us and our assistance dogs, so it is important to move toward a mutually satisfactory way of complying with this new mandate.

Included in this article are photos of model relief areas installed at the San Diego International Airport and Phoe­nix Airport in consultation with assistance dog partners and training programs. You might want to share these with those responsible for relief area installation, if you have the ability to copy them from our newsletter. Please note that these facilities are outside the secured perimeter.

On first approaching airline staff or airport operators, we suggest the following letter be sent:

Dear Airline Station Manager: [ DATE ]

The Department of Transportation has set forth new rules requiring the installation of service animal relief areas at all U.S. airports. (See the relevant paragraph from the Final Rule below my signature)

As one who frequently travels through your airport ac­companied by my assistance dog (put in your dog’s name), and as an IAADP member, I would like to work with you on implementing this mandate. The Coalition of Assistance Dog Organizations, representing the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP), Guide Dog Users Inc. (GDUI), Assistance Dogs International North America (ADI NA) and the Council of U.S. Dog Guide Schools (CUSDGS), has shared the following guidelines with the U.S. Department of Transportation

Guidelines for Service Animal Relief Areas at Airports

1. Service animal relief areas should be established within the secured perimeter.

2. The location of service animal relief areas should be negotiated between airlines, airport operators, assistance dog training programs and assistance dog partners. Representatives of TSA should be asked to participate in these discussions.

3. A minimum area of 10 feet by 10 feet should be set aside for each relief area. If space permits a larger area should be designated.

4. Grass or other natural surfaces are preferred. Additional surfaces may be wood chips or gravel.

5. Every service animal relief area must be accessible for physically disabled individuals using wheelchairs or other mobility devices.

6. The service animal relief area must be maintained by airlines and/or airport operators.

7. All service animal relief areas should have bags for pick up, pooper scoopers and trash receptacles.

8. Service animal relief areas should be fenced in with gates wide enough to provide wheelchair access.

9. Escort service staff must be trained about these requirements and notified of the mandate to provide escort service to and from the service animal relief area for disabled passengers accompanied by assistance dogs.

10. Other airline staff, such as Complaint Resolution Officials, must be trained about these requirements and know the location of designated service animal relief areas.

I would like to assist you in any way possible. Please contact me at:

[include your name, address, phone number, and email address]

Signature

Below is the language used in the final rule published in the Federal Register,

Part II, Department of Transportation,

14 CFR Part 382

Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Disability in Air Travel; Final Rule,

Page 39 382.51

Paragraph only:

One new requirement at U.S. airports is to provide, in cooperation with the airport operator, animal relief areas for service animals that accompany passengers who are departing, arriving, or connecting at the facility.

Photo Examples of Service Animal Relief Areas from Airports in Phoenix and San Diego

Phoenix Airport San Diego Airport

In the Spotlight:

Cancer and Bio-detection Dogs

by Claire Guest, CEO

We are a new charity that works in partnership with researchers from the Buckinghamshire Hospitals NHS Trust, who are supported by the charity, Amerderm Research Trust. Our aim is to provide specialist dogs trained to detect the odour of human diseases, including cancer and diabetes. Our first joint study, published in the British Medical Journal in 2004, showed for the first time that dogs can be trained to identify the odour of bladder cancer within urine. This ground-breaking finding opens the way for a new method of diagnosing bladder cancer, which would be simple, quick and non-invasive.

Our research was initiated by retired orthopaedic surgeon, Dr. John Church, who became interested in the subject following the publication of a case report in the Lancet in 1989. It described a woman whose pet dog showed a persistent interest in a mole on her leg, which turned out to be malignant melanoma, the most serious form of skin cancer. Since then, similar anecdotal stories have been reported, involving not only skin cancer, but also bowel, cervix and breast. The notion that dogs may be able to smell cancer is not unreasonable. Dogs are renowned for their sense of smell. Some estimates put a dog’s sense of smell up to 100,000 times more sensitive than ours.

For centuries, doctors have known that diseases have characteristic odours. Cancer cells release small amounts of volatile substances not produced by normal cells, which dogs, with their exquisite sense of smell, are likely to be able to detect. Our aim is to harness this remarkable ability, so that we can learn which cancers have specific odours. This knowledge can then be used to develop new medical equip­ment with which to diagnose cancer quickly and simply.

Diabetes Hypo-alert Dogs

Diabetes causes people to have well-recognized changes in odour. The charity has trained what we believe is the UK’s first hypoglycaemic detection dog for a gentleman with poorly controlled diabetes and poor hypoglycaemic awareness. The dog reliably identifies and alerts when his owner’s blood sugar drops to a level that results in a hypo­glycaemic episode. Left unnoticed, this would lead to collapse, coma or even death.

Dr. Cherry Kearton, a lecturer at Durham University has Type 1 diabetes with poor hypoglycaemic awareness, which means that when his blood sugar levels drop to a dangerously low level he is unaware that he is at risk until it is too late. On two separate occasions Cherry has collapsed in the street and had to be attended to by paramedics when he suffered a hypoglycaemic episode.

Cherry’s wife, Angela, became increasingly worried about her husband going out of the house on his own and contacted Cancer and Bio-detection Dogs to ask for help. We trained the couple’s pet Labrador Zeta to alert Cherry if his blood sugar levels become too high or too low by jumping across his lap if he is sitting down or jumping up at him if he is standing.

Zeta has given Cherry increased confidence and Angela peace of mind as she knows Cherry will be warned of an impending hypoglycaemic episode and can take the relevant steps to prevent collapse. Having a trained hypo-alert dog has changed Cherry’s life, enabling him to carry on working and living his life as independently as possible.

We have also trained a dog for a four year old boy with poorly controlled Type 1 diabetes and due to the intermittent functioning of his pancreas, it is very difficult to keep his blood levels stable. Despite having his blood tested

every forty minutes, Noah suffers hypoglycaemic episodes regularly and as a result has already experienced two brain seizures.

Bianca, a Labrador x Golden Retriever has been trained to alert one of Noah’s parents should his blood sugar level become dangerously low or high. Training a dog for a child as young as Noah has been much more challenging, but success will mean Noah will have the chance of leading a much more normal life with increased independence and confidence.

At the moment, we have two further diabetes detection dogs placed with clients, they are alerting reliably and will both qualify soon and four further dogs in training.

We are currently seeking to register with Assistance Dogs UK, to obtain the access rights enjoyed by the other Registered Assistance Dogs such as Guide Dogs for the Blind and Dogs for the Disabled, and are also investigating training dogs to detect other conditions and diseases, and very much looking forward to placing many more bio-

detection dogs in the future.

Website: .uk

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Entries accepted year round. Unpublished and published material welcome. Photo may accompany article, but not required.

Free ACVO Eye Exam

Taken from ACVO’s website in February 2009

The second ACVO National Service Dog Eye Exam Day will provide a free screening eye exam to service dog groups in Canada and the USA including assistance dogs, police dogs and search and rescue dogs, providing such dogs are “certified” by a formal training program or currently enrolled in a formal training program. The dog must have certification and/or training paperwork to prove their status as a working service dog to participate in this program the week of May 3, 2009.

Owners/agents for the dog MUST register the animal via an online registration form. Once registered, the owner/agent can locate a participating ophthalmologist in their area. After registering, the owner/agent should contact one of the 180 participating ophthalmologists to schedule an appointment. (More instructions for this process will be in­cluded on registration page)

The American College of Veterinary Ophthalmologists (ACVO) states: “While we would like to offer these services to all dogs who offer assistance to their owners/caretakers, this event will be limited to the above groups. There are limited ‘slots’ available to treat these animals.”

The definition of service dogs to be served during this event applies only to this ACVO National Service Dog Eye Exam Day. Your veterinary ophthalmologist may offer a separate program outside of this event for service dogs, but you would need to speak with them separately.

Meet Your Board Member

Interview by Wendy Morrell

Your name: Kevin Frankeberger, Ph.D.

Your assistance dog’s name and breed: Tomasso (The name

is Italian. I’m told that would be used in referring to the twin brother of

Thomas) is a 2.7 year old Yellow Labrador Retriever. If any Italian speaking readers can confirm, deny or correct that, please let me know!

Current location: Shelton, WA (about 1.5 hours from Seattle, a half-hour from our State capital Olympia)

Is Tomasso your first dog and how long have you been together? He is my second dog and we have been a team since February 2008. My beloved Chessy was my first and we lost him November, 2007 from cancer after seven years of wonderful everything.

Is Tomasso owner trained or program trained? Tomasso was trained at Guide Dogs for the Blind, San Rafael, CA, USA

Briefly, how did you become involved with IAADP? I was a scholarship recipient to attend the 2007 IAADP convention in Baltimore. I have known Ed and Toni Eames for some time over the internet working on various advocacy issues. Former IAADP Board Member Michael Osborn and I spoke frequently and I wrote many letters and made several calls to members of Congress in his quest to open travel to the UK for those of us with assistance dogs.

In terms of the assistance dog movement, what excites you most? The incredible bond between canine and “their” human seems so perfect – the way the world was meant to be.

Again in terms of the assistance dog movement, what frustrates you most? Those who abuse the protections and guarantees that so many of us have worked so hard to earn by claiming their “pets” as true assistance dogs.

And now to the nitty gritty questions,

Not many people know this, but I am quite good at: Playing Bridge.

My favourite holiday destination is: Bermuda.

Reality tv or a good film? Good (video described) film.

Hamburger or Hot Dog? Hamburger.

Pizza or Pasta? That’s a toss up per mood – I love both but personality-wise, I suspect I’d be a pasta person, whatever that might mean!

Beer, wine or soft drink? I enjoy nice beers and wines and will drink a soft drink if neither of the former is available!

My last meal out was in? A fun little downtown Shelton restaurant owned by its chef, a friend and member of wife Becky’s Lions Club.

When relaxing, Tomasso and I like to: Sit in “blue cow” (my leather, dark blue recliner) listening to an old TV series such as “Hogan’s Hero’s” with Tomasso on my lap getting ears and head rubbed and patted. Note though that his hind quarters are on the floor, only about two-thirds of him ac­tually fit on my lap!

CADO Update

by Joan Froling

The meeting of the Coalition of Assistance Dog Organizations (CADO) took place on January 11, 2009, in conjunction with the Conference of Assistance Dogs International of North America (ADI NA) in Orlando, Florida. Delegates from the board of directors of IAADP, ADI NA, Guide Dog Users, Inc. (GDUI) and the Council of US Dog Guide Schools (CUSDGS) spent several hours discussing topics of mutual interest and concern.

For those unfamiliar with CADO, it is a vehicle that enables the major organizations representing assistance dog partners and assistance dog training programs in the United States to work together on issues of importance to our respective constituents. We have been meeting since 2001, when we first came together to discuss proposing a new definition of a Service Animal to the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ) and to work with them to end the misunderstandings and abuses taking place. Congress had mandated the regulations implementing the Americans With Disabilities Act (ADA) be reviewed and updated every ten years. We had hoped the DOJ Disability Rights Section which enforces the ADA would use this as an opportunity to amend the definition of a service animal by the end of 2001. We did not know at that time that the rule making process to update regulations can be a very long drawn out process. Here we are in 2009 with still no end in sight.

In the last issue of Partners Forum we reported the DOJ had finalized the ADA service animal definition and other ADA regulatory updates, submitting its Final Rule in December to the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). At that time, we were told the DOJ hoped to see the Final Rule published in the Federal Register before President Bush left office. Unfortunately, when CADO met on January 11th, in the last week of the Bush administration, the OMB was not yet ready to release the Final Rule.

We have subsequently been informed that a memorandum has been issued to the Executive Branch agencies deferring publication of any new rules until President Obama’s appointed officials have time to review and approve them. On January 21, 2009, the U.S. Department of Justice announced it was withdrawing the Final Rule from the OMB. It stated that no final action will be taken until incoming officials can review the rules. The Department went on to say that these officials will have the full range of rule making options available to them under the Administrative Procedural Act.

Given the fact it can take months to get the appointments of key decision makers loyal to Obama confirmed by Con­gress, then it may be quite some time before the Service Animal definition and other regulatory changes incorpo­rated into the Final Rule crosses the desk of these officials when they take their place at the Department of Justice. We may have a very long wait in store before we will know the outcome of this political review.

I briefed other CADO delegates on the legislative initiative from Queensland, Australia, which came across my desk just before the meeting. The bill which is expected to pass this spring would set up a certification system for assistance dog handlers that will deeply involve the state government in the assistance dog industry. A separate article in this issue will provide an excellent summary of the state government’s elaborate plan to overcome some of the problems that have developed because the definition of an assistance animal in the federal anti-discrimination provision is so vague. The bill, if adopted, will replace the old state access law.

The main focus of CADO’s efforts in the upcoming year will be the implementation of the mandate for Service Animal Relief Areas to be established at all airports in the USA. The deadline for airlines and airports to install such areas is supposed to be May 13, 2009, according to the Final Rule which was issued by the U.S. Department of Transportation (DOT) in May 2008. We doubt airline and airport officials will know that many us travel with grass-addicted assistance dogs or consider the size of the gate and terrain needed for a relief area to be accessible to a traveler who uses a big electric wheelchair. We want to help the of­ficials at airports in conjunction with those representing the airlines to “get it right” the first time.

As IAADP’s President, Ed Eames discovered, through contacting the DOT and networking with organizations representing airlines and airports, upon our return from the CADO meeting, input from our community is going to be very welcome.

IAADP is asking our members in the USA to actively participate in this advocacy initiative. For more details, please read the article by Ed and Toni Eames, under the title, “Advocacy Campaign USA - Please Help.” Just use the “model letter” Ed created. If someone asks a question that you can’t answer, don’t worry. Refer them to Ed, as he is our information clearing house on this particular project. Ed’s phone number is 559-224-0544 or email him at

eeames@csufresno.edu

GDUI, ADINA and CUSDGS will ask their members to get involved, promoting the recommendations in the “model letter.” The establishment of service animal relief areas at every airport in the USA will be a dream come true for assistance dog teams who travel by air. We hope to make it a high priority for each airport to design, build and open them for our use in 2009.

IAADP WEBSITE:



Correspondence from a Yankee and His Guide Dog, Langer

by Gary C. Norman, Esq.

Gary C. Norman is an attorney, a member of the Fullbright Senior Specialist Candidate Roster and is the principle of Norman Access and Conflict Resolution Consultants Group (available at )

My travels to the European Union, and to one of its associate members, Serbia, through the American Marshall Memorial Fellowship, has accomplished a final goal of international adventure, which was quietly promised to Langer, my dog guide, some myriad years ago at our “leashing ceremony.”

In the words of the author, diplomat and public servant, President John Adams, [letter writing is one of my great amusements.] “Thusly, this will employ the instrument of the pen to provide impressions of experiences garnered during extensive travels of a Yankee and his dog guide during October, 2008.

Note that, as part of the American Marshall Memorial Fellowship, 15 to 16 emerging leaders travel in one of a total of three different sessions that are conducted during the year (i.e., winter, summer, and fall). Traveling to a beginning and an ending city as a large group, the participants subdivide into several and sundry smaller groups of five to seven individuals, and visit a myriad of differing cities during the middle of the experience.

Preparing for the Trip

While, as my personal experience enlightened, fretting about completing a series of steps and actions required for a service animal to enter into the European Union were more anxiety laden, than the actual steps and actions themselves; they must be completed. As Langer and I prepared to embark on our travel to the European Union, our planning was aided by a talented, young accredited veterinarian in Baltimore and by the counsel of a long-time friend who is a veterinarian to Langer when I visit Ohio.

The non-commercial travel of pets or service animals into the European Union, and even into some of its associate members, such as Serbia, falls under the jurisdiction of a regulation numbered as - EC No. 998/2003. The European equivalent or counterpart of our extensive agency and department structure in the United States, the European Commission, is tasked to implement its requirements. In summary, with the exception of Sweden, the United Kingdom, and Norway, requirements for the non-commercial travel of pets or service animals are:

Microchip

Each pet or service animal must be identified by means of a microchip compliant with ISO Standard 11784 or Annex A to ISO standard 11785.

Vaccinations

Animals need to have full vaccinations; and for dogs, this includes Distemper, Hepatitis, Parvo, Leptospirosis, (DHLPP) and Rabies within the last year, or within a minimum of four weeks before arrival.

Pet Passport

An international health certificate must be completed by an accredited veterinarian. Although the certificate is technically valid for four months, the European Union recommends that the certificate be completed and endorsed within ten days of departure in order that handlers are in the best possible position to avoid customs issues upon arrival.

Government Endorsement

When departing from the United States, the international health certificate mentioned above must be endorsed by the Plant and Animal Health Inspection Service of the United States Department of Agriculture, an office of which is worth noting, for purposes of handlers in the D.C. Metropolitan Statistical Area is located in Annapolis, Maryland. And,

All the above referenced papers should be retained and be readily accessible for inspection by customs, especially if handlers are traveling on an extensive basis within the European Union.

The foregoing steps and actions are known as the pet passport. Note: It is recommended that, before traveling to the European Union, a handler commence the planning process well in advance of the scheduled flight. Inquire with the customary veterinarian or animal hospital of the service animal, which has the privilege of traveling to the European Union, if either of the previously mentioned knows about foreign requirements; if not, there is a continuing education seminar online they can complete.

Langer and I were fortunate that our veterinarian matriculated into and completed the online course regarding international requirements for pets and service animals a short while before we departed to the European Union – for purposes of my wonderful guide dog and for a trip for her own dogs. Ironically, European airports through which Langer and I traveled very seldom requested to review the pet passport, or health certificate.

Airports

Our travels to the European Union were aided by a directive, effective fully after summer 2008, which requires assistance for people with limited mobility within airports in the European Union. Langer and I consequently found the staff at the airports to be far friendlier in some respects than in the United States.

The European Union for Assistance Dogs

Equaling the new capital for an innovative confederacy of nation states and also the capital of a nation that is

divided in terms of its future status as a unified polity, Brussels is worth visiting, if for nothing else, the fine cuisine. Brussels is a city of myriad hills, and is historically, a city possessing plazas lined with buildings dating to the Renaissance. As such, Brussels demands great caution on the part of a dog guide handler in that its built environment, its elevators and its buildings are not as accessible as their counterparts in the U.S.

Langer adroitly navigated the challenges, if any, imposed during the visit to Brussels, our first city during the trip. To the recollection of this author, the access scene for dog guides in Belgium is positive; this being in general accord with cultures such as France and Italy that enjoy the companionship of dogs.

Our final destination at which all of the 16 fellows converged, that traveled to the European Union in October 2008, comprised of Copenhagen, Denmark. Denmark is a socialist state. Officials, with whom we met, argued that despite its high taxes on income (in the nature of eighty percent), it has one of the best gross domestic product percentages, as among Western nations.

Certainly, while Copenhagen is a beautiful city, similar in many respects to any of the cities in Upper Peninsula, Michigan, there are those who perceive societal exclusion.

One evening while Langer, I and my friend and colleague, a sort of wingman to Langer and me in myriad cities, walked to a dinner meeting we suddenly found ourselves navigating a huge crowd. I was told most of those in the crowd appeared to be persons of the Muslim faith. Congregated on the town plaza of Copenhagen, many of them were chanting, all the while standing around a large conflagration.

Overall, Langer and I encountered few access issues when in Denmark. The significant access issue which we encountered, however, which is worth mentioning, is an unfortunate incident with a taxicab driver. My colleague and I encountered an issue with a taxicab driver from the airport to the hotel.

First the driver did not desire to transport us; however, at the airport, I made it clear, in stern but professional language, he would drive us.

After arriving at the hotel, he exited, and commenced yelling at us, demanding my colleague to pay him extra compensation for the hair that Langer allegedly shed on the seats. Both of us were exhausted from the travels, as my

colleagues and I had busy, busy schedules when in Europe. We reported the incident to our day-to-day host, who indi­cated that he was probably a migrant, a group with which the citizens of Denmark are having some range of difficul­ties of integrating into their legal and social structures. At that time, she indicated a complaint would be filed with the applicable parties.

Referred to as the sexy, but poor, city of Europe, Berlin is fascinating to visit. Berlin, to my recollection, which is based on discussions with staff at the German Marshall Fund, and high-level officials with whom my colleagues and I met, does not have an extensive domestic civil rights framework for the disabled. However, Berlin constitutes, in my experience, one of the more accessible cities for the vi­sion impaired as among the European Union and the U.S. This is because it has:

1. Audible pedestrian signals at both small and large inter­sections

2. Intersections that have blended curbs with truncated domes

3. Easily identifiable train stations by way of the smell emanating from their sausage vendors, jocular as that may be – often possessing truncated domes and contrast features on stairs and other surfaces to alert those with low vision

4. Regular and clear stop announcements on the trains, even if in German, obviously, and

5. Good dog guide access in most respects.

What can one pen of a magical place, where the women appear as though they are cleaved from a romantic, Ital­ian film, each sidewalk cafe has desserts that are slices of nirvana and where people possess a concern that the hue of purple is last season? A fortunate author, who has the pleasure of traveling to such a wondrous place with his dog guide, calls this place by the appellation – Italy.

Langer and I visited Torino, Italy, which for our travels, represented our city in Southern Europe.

Our day-to-day host comprised a modern super non-profit, whose origins, as an interest-loaning organization, date to the medieval period of history.

Long since relinquished of most shareholder interests in the financial arm of its origins, our day-to-day host now comprises a well-funded charitable grant-making institution.

Our accommodations at a five star place of lodging provided such an ample amount of space as to permit Langer to run in a large gallop about the room at night.

One evening, Langer and this author, as well as the other fellows who split up to travel to the city, dined during a period of four hours, supping upon ten different dishes. We dined with the two directors of the winter games of 2006, one of whom was the director of the Paralympics and who was also the friend of a blind teacher involved with the equivalent of the NFB of Italy.

Serbia

Meetings with the Belgrade Institute for the Blind revealed that Langer was, in fact, the only dog guide in Serbia in October. When in Serbia, we encountered a dog guide access issue at most every place, the most egregious of which was our hotel. Suffering with maladies, Langer and I were in no mood to confront an access denial. However, unfortunately, as soon as we had arrived in Serbia, my colleagues and I encountered access issues with the very hotel that was suppose to serve as our kind of headquarters for four or five days.

As soon as I endeavored to exit our vehicle, a thoroughly disagreeable fellow, the manager of the hotel, accosted me, informing me that I would have to accept meals in my room. When at the hotel, I also always perceived that the staff and management were watching me.

One can only imagine the extent to which this was a cause of upset.

The manager endeavored to restrict our access to the restaurant, claiming, if correctly, that under Serbian domestic legal provisions, Langer could not be present, as their do­mestic health regulations do not allow animals to be near food handling. My fellow travelers served as intermediaries between the hotel staff and me. Because of their legal training and acumen, they shuttled between the hotel and me, eventually striking a compromise. After several minutes of dialogue with the hotel on my behalf, and what I am sure were stern telephone calls by the German Marshall Fund staff, the hotel agreed to provide my colleagues and me a VIP, private board room suite on the top floor of the hotel for dining.

Other issues that we encountered, included, an incident at a church, where a clergyperson, evidently, as I learned from my colleague, started to aggressively approach Langer and me in a menacing manner. That colleague was the wingman described above and after some discussion, he graciously relaxed with me outside of the church, describing its gothic architecture.

After I realized that there would be myriad annoying access issues, I eventually became desensitized to Serbia. As such, one afternoon, my colleagues and I walked on the pier, and eventually decided to dine at a cafe, where we encountered yet another issue. But that was easily resolved, when we told them we would not financially benefit them. They quickly acquiesced, as in Serbia, one of the few places these days seemingly, American dollars matter!

Furthermore, either before or during the time we visited, there was newspaper coverage in Serbia that health code regulations might be reformed, as part of the accession process to the European Union, to allow the access of service animals.

Some of the access issues probably stem from the simple fact that there is an entire lack of dog guides in that nation, and also, as dog guides come with some amount of cost, are just too expensive for many disabled Serbians.

Therefore, traveling abroad in a large grouping of individuals can be helpful to a handler, especially, in circumstances that involve the likelihood of serious access issues. I found this especially helpful in the circumstance of Serbia, where I was too ill at the beginning of the trip to be in any kind of condition to advocate for myself.

Traveling to the European Union was one of our more interesting, and fulfilling of our adventures since our first introduction in August 2001, as perhaps we eroded some stereotypes about the blind all the while learning about Trans-Atlantic relations.

Australia

Queensland Proposes Dramatic Changes

EDITOR’s NOTE: The vagueness of the federal anti-discrimination provision insofar as a definition of an assistance animal has resulted in a number of problems in Australia since 1992 which have not been resolved at the federal level, leaving it up to the states to take action.

Queensland’s bill is a multi-pronged initiative that is radically different from anything ever contemplated by a state legislature in the United States. It will directly involve the government in the assistance dog industry at an unprecedented level with regard to training and certification.

After this introduction you will find the excerpt I took from a 40-page document titled “Explanatory Notes,” in connection with the proposed law. It will give you the Queensland government’s perspective on why this legisla­tion is deemed essential. It provides a comprehensive sum­mary of the 80-page bill for all our members who are short on time and prefer the highlights. I will follow up with website urls for those wish to read the entire bill, other explanatory notes and details on the process the government went through in 2007 to gather input from guide, hearing and assistance dog training programs, disability rights organizations, businesses and other interested parties prior to drafting the bill.

The bill did pass the state legislature in February 2009 and it is now in the final stage of consideration by the governor. If adopted, it will not take away a citizen’s right to cite the federal provision in the effort to gain access with an assistance animal. Rather, it is viewed by its supporters as “leveling the playing field,” giving persons with other kinds of disabilities the opportunity to have the same degree of access protection under the state law as that which is currently enjoyed by the handlers of certified guide dogs and hearing dog from recognized programs in Australia under the Queensland Guide Dogs Act 1972.

Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Bill 2009

Explanatory Notes

Objectives of the Bill

The main objectives of the Guide, Hearing and Assistance Dogs Bill 2008 (the Bill) are to:

• assist people with a disability who rely on guide, hearing or assistance dogs to have independent access to the community; and

• ensure the quality and accountability of guide, hearing and assistance dog training services.

The Bill repeals the Guide Dogs Act 1972 and also repeals the Legacy Trust Fund Act 2001.

Reasons that the proposed legislation is necessary:

Guide dogs and hearing dogs enjoy public recognition of their access rights in supporting people with a vision or hearing impairment. In contrast, people using assistance dogs have reported difficulties in gaining access to public places with their assistance dogs. These difficulties have arisen because assistance dogs are not recognized as guide dogs and discrimination laws are not readily known and understood.

The use of assistance dogs is still a relatively new concept. However, in recent years assistance dogs have been trained to assist people with physical, neurological or sen­sory disabilities to do everyday tasks. These include activities such as opening and shutting doors for a person in a wheelchair, turning light switches on and off, pressing pedestrian crossing buttons, retrieving items that have fallen on the ground and alerting people if their handler is in difficulty, for example, if the person is having a seizure. Assistance dogs also go with their handler into public places so that they do not have to be accompanied by another person.

Under the Queensland Guide Dogs Act 1972, only guide dogs and hearing dogs trained by recognized institutions are able to access public places and public passenger vehicles. Assistance dogs are not given specific access rights under the Queensland legislation, nor are they mentioned in the Queensland Anti-Discrimination Act 1991. However, the Commonwealth Disability Discrimination Act 1992 (DDA) makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person because they are accompanied by an animal trained to assist a person to alleviate the effect of their disability.

Although the DDA makes it unlawful to discriminate against a person because they are accompanied by an animal trained to assist the person to alleviate the effect of their disability, the DDA does not define this phrase.

The DDA also fails to provide any requirements, safeguards or standards for the training of assistance dogs. Accordingly, there is uncertainty for users of assistance dogs, assistance dog trainers and the public.

People using an assistance dog have reported inconsistencies and difficulties in gaining access to public places with their assistance dog.

These difficulties have arisen because:

• assistance dogs are not recognized as guide dogs under the Guide Dogs Act 1972;

• discrimination laws are not readily known and understood;

• both people with a disability and members of the community do not understand the difference between an assistance dog which has access rights in public places and a pet or companion dog which does not;

• there are no legislative requirements for training, presentation or identification of assistance dogs therefore they are not readily distinguishable from a pet or companion dog; and

• concerns that admitting an assistance dog to particular places may involve committing an offence under health and hygiene laws.

The lack of any provision in the DDA regarding training and accreditation of assistance animals was identified in the Human Rights and Equal Opportunity Commission’s (HREOC) report Reform of the assistance animal provisions of the Disability Discrimination Act released in November 2003.

The HREOC report commented that details of accreditation or certification regimes would be more appropriately developed by authorities who regulate dogs, in consultation with training organizations and the disability community, than being specified in the DDA itself. HREOC stated that it would be preferable for state governments to develop ac­creditation processes. With the exception of South Australia, other Australian jurisdictions do not have any legislated accreditation processes.

How the policy objectives will be achieved:

The Bill provides that a person with a disability may be accompanied by a guide, hearing or assistance dog in a public place or public passenger vehicle in much the same way as the Guide Dogs Act 1972 confers this right on people with a vision or hearing impairment accompanied by a guide or hearing dog.

The Bill empowers the chief executive of DSQ to approve guide, hearing and assistance dog trainers. Trainers may include institutions and individual trainers. Trainers will have to apply to the chief executive for approval and provide information as to their qualifications, knowledge, experience and methods of training. Individual applicants and employee trainers of institutions will be criminal his­tory screened as part of this process.

The Bill enables the chief executive to convene an advisory committee to consider applications for approval as a trainer, to inspect training facilities and determine the merits of an application or review of approval in order to make submissions to the chief executive about an applicant under Part 3, an approved trainer, or an approved training institu­tion. The Bill requires that the advisory committee comprise of a person with expertise in specialist dog obedience training; a person with experience in the area of dog behaviour; a person with a disability who relies on a guide, hearing or assistance dog; a representative of DSQ, together with three persons from any of the following: the department in which the Animal Care and Protection Act 2001 is administered; the department in which the Transport Operations (Passenger Transport) Act 1994 is administered; the Disability Council of Queensland; and local government.

The Bill provides for review of the approved status of trainers every three years, to ensure that they continue to be able to satisfy the criteria for eligibility. The chief executive may also suspend or cancel a trainer’s approved status if specific grounds exist for cancellation.

Approved trainers will be entitled to access public places accompanied by trainee support dogs. The Bill also allows puppy carers who are employed, whether in a paid or voluntary capacity, by approved training institutions to access public places with dogs under 18 months of age that are placed in their care for socialization and basic obedience training.

The Bill provides for guide, hearing and assistance dog handlers and trainers to carry an identity card. Dogs will have to wear an identifying harness or coat. This will enable members of the public and people in charge of public places to be able to easily recognize the dog as a guide, hearing or assistance dog. It will be an offence for a person in control of a public place or a public passenger vehicle to refuse entry or service to a person because they are accompanied by a trained guide, hearing or assistance dog, or a trainee support dog or for separating a person with a disability from his or her guide, hearing or assistance dog.

The Bill excludes specific places where guide, hearing and assistance dogs have no right of access to ensure health and hygiene standards are maintained or for environmental reasons. These reflect the places and vehicles from which guide dogs are excluded under the Guide Dogs Act 1972. Allowance is made for other excluded places to be prescribed by regulation. The places where guide, hearing and assistance dogs are excluded under the Bill include, for example:

a) ambulances;

b) parts of hospitals consisting of operating suites, recovery areas, procedure rooms, sterilizing areas and storage rooms;

c) areas where food is ordinarily prepared.

The Bill sets out the grounds upon which an approved trainer may certify a dog as a guide, hearing or assistance dog for a person with a disability. Trainers may only certify a dog if certain requirements are met including that the dog has passed a public access test within the previous seven days and is desexed and vaccinated.

The Bill provides for the chief executive to issue an identity card to a dog handler once an approved trainer has certified the dog as a guide, hearing or assistance dog. A handler is eligible for an identity card if:

• the person reasonably requires the dog for support;

• the person is able to physically control the dog; and

• the dog has passed a public access test approved by the chief executive.

The Bill enables the chief executive to appoint authorized officers to monitor and enforce compliance with the Bill. These authorized officers are given a limited range of powers sufficient to enable them to enforce compliance with the Bill. Authorized officers may enter a place with the occupier’s consent and when it is open to the public. Following entry, authorized officers have powers to monitor compliance with the Bill, for example, for the purpose of investigating an offence against the Bill to search any part of the place, copy a document and require a person to answer any questions.

EDITOR’S NOTE: For a copy of this Bill, for another 36 pages of Explanatory Notes on various sections of the bill and for a one page summary of the process the state went through in 2007, to gather input from many sectors prior to drafting this bill, you can consult the following Australian government websites:

• The Bill 2008/GHADogsB08.pdf

• Explanatory notes for the Bill

• Queensland Government review of guide, hearing and assistance dogs

UK Thank You Note!

FAO: Bioiberica - thank you for the Cosequin!

Dear sir/madam:

I am writing to thank you for the Cosequin which you generously donate to members of the International As­sociation of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP).

I have a Dog for the Disabled, called ‘Frodo.’ Frodo is a two year old yellow Labrador. During the later stages of his training at the Dogs for the Disabled Headquarters in Banbury, Frodo was diagnosed with mild FCP (elbow dysplasia). He was referred to a specialist and it was advised that Frodo be put on chondroitin protective supplements long-term (it was decided that surgery would not be beneficial to him, and that he should lead a long and healthy working life).

I was matched with Frodo in March 2008. Frodo is my second Dog for the Disabled – my first passed away in December 2007. I have Osteogensis Imperfecta (Brittle Bones). Before I had an Assistance Dog, I broke numerous ribs when I bent down to pick things up. Frodo (and Bella, before him) prevent so many painful rib fractures! Frodo also opens doors for me, turns on lights, fetches the post, empties the washing machine, and gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning! Frodo is a bit of a comedian – he loves to make me laugh! I’ve had a rough year, with a serious leg fracture and surgery – I don’t think I would have gotten through it without Frodo. Frodo also enables me to live independently – I can’t imagine my life without him.

If it weren’t for your very kind donation to IAADP, I would have to pay around £30 for six weeks treatment of a chondroitin protective supplement from my vets. So, you’ve saved me a lot of money! Frodo also seems to enjoy the tablets – he’ll eat them off his dinner, or out of your hand! He’s doing really well, and you wouldn’t know there was anything wrong with his elbows! He races around like most two year old Labradors! He hasn’t gone lame once since I’ve had him!

Thank you!

With kind regards,

Lizzie and Frodo Owen

U.S. DEPARTMENT OF JUSTICE

Access Problem?

Contact: ADA Helpline at

800-514-0301

TTY: 800-514-0363

Email: plaint@

MEMBERSHIP QUERIES? CHANGE OF ADDRESS?

Contact Buddy at 888-54-IAADP

or at buddy@

Book Review by Joan Froling

BOMBPROOF: A True Story of Second Chances, written by Leana Beasley and Stephan Sawicki, proved to be fascinating in its scope and layout. It is, in part, the story of a remarkable partnership with a dog who was celebrated as the Delta Society’s Service Dog of the Year in 2004 in large part for his work as a seizure alert dog. Beset with violent seizures and terrifying flashbacks to a crime which took place while Leana served in the military, she struggled to be a wife and mother in between hospitalizations for the seizures, for respiratory and mobility complications and for serious psychiatric problems related to post traumatic stress disorder. Interspersed with her autobiographical narrative are the interviews by co-author, Stephan Sawicki, with her doctors, nurses and other witnesses whose first-hand observations greatly enhance one’s understanding of how unpredictable and disabling PTSD can be. At times, it has been every bit as frightening and potentially life threatening as the seizure disorder.

Through detective work and interviews, Stephan Sawicki also tells the story of Bronson, a stray Rottweiler-Lab mix as he grows up and passes through several hands before Jeanne Hampl, R.N., the director at the Prison Pet Partnership Program in the USA decides to place him with Leana as her service dog. Renowned in the assistance dog field for her pioneering work with seizure alert dogs, Jeanne Hampl provided staunch follow up support for this service dog team during the difficulties of their first year together and throughout Bronson’s working career.

In the gritty realism of this compelling narrative, Leana’s love for Bronson and her son shine through as she strives to build a better life and pursues a lengthy hospital access case. The book’s theme of “second chances” for a disabled person and a shelter dog ends on a high note with Leana and Bronson’s participation in the conference put on by the International Association of Assistance Dog Partners (IAADP) in Anaheim, California. I consider it to be a valuable addition to my library and give it two thumbs up.

Who Do I Ask? Where Do I Send It?

Ed Eames Ph.D., IAADP President Legal Questions

eames@ 559-224-0544

Joan Froling, Chairperson Editor - Newsletter

joan@ 586-826-3938 Advocacy Center

Devon Wilkins, Vice President, Canada Canadian Issues

devon@ 705-444-4512 Canadian Benefits

Wendy Morrell, Vice President, Europe European Issues

wendy@ 077470 42695

Jill Exposito, Vice President, USA New Projects

jill@ 913-469-6063

Toni Eames, Treasurer Grief Counseling

toni@ 559-224-0544 Thank you notes

Kevin Frankeberger Ph.D., CFRE, Board Member Fundraising

kevin@ 360-426-8389 Development

Buddy Brannan, Membership Coordinator Database, VCP

buddy@ 888-544-2237 Member Benefits

Membership Information

Membership Dues: Partner Member $30; Renewal $30; or join/renew, 3 years for the price of 2 years! $60;

Partners outside North America $20 per year or $40 for 3 years; Friend $30; Provider $35. Send check with signed application from website at to IAADP c/o Buddy Brannan, P.O. Box 3533, Erie, PA 16508. You may also obtain membership application with S.A.S.E., or send a letter with your signature affirming you’re partnered with an assistance dog and who trained it. Credit Cards accepted online!

Specify newsletter format - Print, Cassette, Disk or data CD. Renewal notices may or may not be sent out. Please renew 45 days in advance of the Expiration Date on Partner Membership Card to maintain your eligibility for benefits. Change of dog? Must update your dog’s name in your database file!

IAADP Information & Advocacy Center

Call (586) 826-3938 or email joan@ or see contact info on IAADP Website:

You can also contact us by mail at IAADP, P.O. Box 1326, Sterling Hts., MI 48311

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